Variety (Jan 1945)

4 PICTURES Thirty-ninth pfattJBfciT Anniversary Wednesday, January 3, 1945 Rank's Coup In Paris Over U.S. A Job For All of Us An' American closel. allied to the picture industry who has just, re- turned to New York, after several months in Paris, says that Yank pix interests in the French capital arc a bit more than het up about Ihcir British cousins gettinfi the jump oi them on postwar (I'm b\t in Fi ance and Allied countries. Wnat gives special point to their beef is the presence in Paris of the Biili.-h magnate, J. Arthur Rank's representative, Teddy Carr. for many years United Artists rep in London and now managing direc- tor for Englo-Lion films. Carr ar- rived in Paris from London about Dec. 12 and is said to be iiesalial- ins a deal for the distribution of Rank's films in France. The -ques- tion beiffj; asked is. how this Ens- lishman managed to get a visa and piano transport from London to Paris when no U. S. rep has' been allowed access to France. All the American film men stress the vital inipoi lance of getting U. S. repre- sentation in France at the earliest possible moment. They complain thai the American Embassy has no commercial attache in the French capital or that the Hays outOt has no', yet seen fit to send anyone over to represent the interests of the Yank picture industry. The recently returned Yank says that even Frenchmen want to know when Harold L. Smith or his suc- cessor is returning to the- French Capital to represent Hays. It is also felt that the Hollywood firms should set up their own distrib agencies in Paris without further delay in view of the fact that, as of Dec. 15. OWI for the U. S. and Ministry of Information for the British turned over film distribution in France to the individual compa- nies, with MOI and OWI merely act- ing as shippers. ' Teddy Carr's Activities It is learned that the Britisher Teddy Carr has proposed the forma- tion of a company in France, the capital of which would be divided equally between the French and Rank. Carr is said to be dealing with several people but is likely to close a deal in the near future with the French Gaumont, which has no biz tics with British Gaumont. This out- fit would distribute Rank films in France, Belgium and Switzerland; would also undertake to distribute French films made by independent French producers headed by Marcel Pagnol, well-known French film di rector and producer. Eagle-Lion would also undertake to distribute ^French pix in certain territories of Mie world outside of France, such as Htolland. the Scandinavian countries, ^gypt and "evenpossibly Latin • America. This is a new and surprising de- velopment in view of the story printed in the Continental issue of the London Daily Mail on Dec 1 that the British Cinema Technical Council rejected Rank's proposal to corner the French industry by seek- ing control of an important string of showcases in France. The coun- cil passed a resolution affirming that it was in the interest of the British picture industry that the French - should be helped to recover their place in the film world. It suggested that an exchange of the best films of the two countries would be to the- advantage of both England and France. •The council's resolution w a s parsed after it was learned .in mid- November that Rank was contem- plating sending a lieutenant to Paris with orders to close negotia- tions for the most important string of cinemas in Paris. It was ru- mored at that time that he wanted control of SO to 60 of France's best houses, including the Gaumont- PalacA in Montmartre, the' new ele- gant Normandie on jthe Champs- Elysees and .the Madeleine on the Boulevards, now being used for GI variety shows. It was also added that Rank -v anted to control the best houses in . Marseilles, . Toujon, Bordeaux, Toulouse and other cities in France. The original plan, which seems to have been revived by Carr's pres ence in Paris, .was to get an exclusive British market in France, Belgium, and Holland as soon u conditions rnad* It possible. Another-new year. And-rather grim, with the shocking realization that V-E Day is not as imminent as we all hoped only a month ago. What a year it has been! Emerging from the boomtime, wartime prosperity is the knowledge that, more than ever, show business faces a terrific task, in the war and in the peace. In the war—well, the theatres are certainly among the most dircct-to-the-consumer con- tacts Uncle Sam has. Some 11,000 picture thea- tres selling War Bonds is quite a merchandising outlet. . Via its glamorous personalities, the war effort has been sparkplugged time and again by Holly- wood and radio names. The same notables con- tinue to do their stuff less synthetically by beaming $1,000,000 shows to the GIs on all war- fronts. Iir the peace an even greater task faces us during the hospitalization and rehabilitation period. Meantime the past year has certainly-not been without its highlights and its .excitements. This year paralleled the year before, when, with pic- ture business booming so markedly, it became a trade wheeze that "even good pictures do busi- ness." The theory of "anything gets over now- adays in legit" continues to be borne out in a broad sense, but there have been rude awaken- ings that, at certain times, trends and periods, the buying public becomes a.s"di.scriitiinating as ever. Another wheeze became standard that "all the Hollywood producers got together and agreed that nobody should get under $250,000 for a script." That gag, ascribed to Nunnally John- son, became par for the course this year, with $300,000 film'biographicals (Cole Porter), $400,- 000 comedy hits ("Junior Miss"), half-million- dollar down payments against a cut of the profits ("Life With Father"). This parallels the current practice of separate units for film producers (Hal Wallis, Buddy de Sylva, et al.) and stars (Gary Cooper, Blng Crosby, et al.). This may not be sheer unadulterated patriot- ism, but the cold fact remains that show busi- ness prospered this year as it did last year, and the year before that, partly on the premise "the Government pays for it!" If somebody wanted a pair for "Oklahoma!" or "Song of Norway," and got taken for" $20-a-pair from a gyp spec; or if your nitery tab hit over the normal $20-$25 ' celling and was nearer $40 and $50, the attitude seemed to be, "Wottheheck, Upcle Sam pays for it." In: turn, a $7,500-a-week guestar' on the radio felt'equally lackadaisical .about taking on the chore because "I can only keep about 600 bucks of it net for myself." What does it mean? It's the reason, in part, why New York's Mayor LaGuardia may well have for his theme song, "I'm Dreaming of a White Market." Those fast fives and tens to the headwaiters, most of whom are now in the $40,000-$60,000 class, chiefly through largesse bestowed upon them by , Inferiority-complex- ioned, newly-rich, wartime spenders, is but an- other manifestation. So much of it can be charged off to Uncle Sam for "expenses" that the legitimate dollar has no honest value. Spe- cialty shops, jewelers and department stores this pre-Xmas saw more large-bill folding money than ever before in their merchandising careers. These stores, accustomed to charge accounts or payment by check, were puzzled at first by the cash-over-the-counter until forced to the reali- zation this probably was illegitimate cash- under-the-counter profits—this time not "charged off to Morgenthau." The spiraling of spending, of course, must manifest itself up and down the line. Wealthy refugee money invested in art treasures and realty pars the defense worker's more prosaic profits, with result that America's greatest and cheapest public entertainment— the movies- has seen its b.p. average grow from 23c. to 33c. per ticket for 100,000,000 admissions each week. And"so it's been a never-a-dull-moment year. And a fruitful, hardworking and patriotic- one as well. Perhaps Basil O'Connor best said it, on behalf of the film industry last month, when he welcomed a group of representative showmen to the White House on behalf of the President, in connection with the National Infantile Paralysis Foundation. Said O'Connor (in effect): "I'll speak for you people in the show business that I have often wondered when executives have time to exec, actors to act, directors to direct, distributors to distrib, exhib- itors to exhib, and so on down the line. I want to do the bragging for you, because you folks in the movie and general amusement Industry just don't know when to stop doing things for bonds, Red Cross, relief, charity, March of Dimes, or what have you?" The President later that after- noon, at an official White House tea, mentioned something about the time he sought to under- take collecting $1 each from 100,000 people for the Warm Springs (Ga.) Foundation, which was a good idea "excepting I found it cost me $104,- 000 to collect it,'; as the Chief Executive put it. Instead, the movie theatres have been respon- sible for over 50,000,000 individual contributions for the Infantile Paralysis Fund. All of which, obviously r writes just one more bright page to an already luminous record which show business has written for itself in the war effort and in the American life. And so 1944 ends on a show biz job well done, with much harder work to be done. At least two more War Loans, the first in June; March of Dimes in January; Red Cross in April, until the Victory is won. And then comes the greater task that the World War II veteran should not become neglected or forgotten, that he be enterr tained and his morale buoyed while hospitalized , and rehabilitated. And that's not just a task. ' It's a career for all of us. Abel. International Stays On RKO Release List Hollywood. International .Pictures will con- tinue to release through RKO for 18 months under a deal, now at the inking stage', calling for four to six pictures, with no more than one film being released each quarter. Under the original pact, the Leo Spitz-William Goetz ' organization turned out ."Casanova Brown," "Belle of the Yukon," "Woman in the Window" and "It's a Pleasure." PYLE OFF TO THE WAHS Hollywood. Ernie Pyle left here, for San Francisco over the weekend enroute to the Pacific theatre of war. He had been here for the past few days conferring with Lester Cowan on the picturization of his book, An Appreciation '"Variety" wishes to publicly acknowledge its appreciation,^ Oie following for ^heiv coopera- tion in reducing their advertis- ing space in this Special Anni- versary Num6er;'in theinterests of paper conservation: Don Mui'lnn Hnr- Jui-k llyllnn rello Art Idlfitet .lark Denny C'apt. Jlinmy Ken- Irving lit rlii) ucriy lleneilli-l ItoKfnUA Kelth-Prowse UivKmun. Vm-cu & ('hnrleM W. Koerner I'nnn Kay Ky*er IllittrTlleld The- Mnentl'0 Mualr I'd. nlrcs lMnc-ThomnH Pro- Rilillc Cnnlor - dilution;* 1'iit Cnsoy Irna I'hllllns-Carl OIniieM Corp. Wefller .I'humiell * Co. Harry Roy ' lt<>K Connelly Anno Hhelton Don l.ee Network JDInnti Shore Brrt l-'olilmnn Drill Khepnril Syri Fle.M Southern MuhIp Co. Knuler-AKGney Sloll Theatre. Corp. ■•Yam-la, Day St Dunny Thoinon Ifiinlei* Chnfl. Tj. Tucker lintel Hheininn. Mlphael Twiil CIKLTiKn 'Lnwrenco Wright Hrtim Dcnniond Iturnt MiirIc Radio-Film Play Being Set As Legit Musical London. '"Goodnight Vienna," radio play by Eric Maschwitz, which whs iunicd into-starring screen vehicle for Jack Buchanan and Anna Neagle, is being made into a stage musical. Joseph Fenston and Harold Holt have formed a company to present it early in 1945, and intend to ask Jack Buchanan to play on the stage the role created by him on the screen. " ALBERT A 100% PROD. Hollywood. Arnold Albert was upped from as- sistant to Gordon Hollingshead, producer, to -feature producer by Jack Warner. First chore will be in association with Jerry Wald in Aim yet to be announced. Albert with firm for 10 years. The By-liners In This Issue Way,'Fitz. Tallu Get N.Y. Crix Nod Paramount won three out of tour awards last week by the N.Y. Film Cl itics, of which Edgar Pi-ice, Brook- lyn Citizen, is chairman and Irene Thirer, Post, sec. Past soasbn's Par release, "Going My Way," was voted Hie best picture of the year by the 16 . N. Y. and Brooklyn crix voting. II wqji on the third ballot over "Wilson" (20th) and "Hail Conquering Hero" (Par). At the same time, Barry Fitzgerald copped honors for the best male per- formance of the year 'in "Way" on first ballot; runner-up being Alex- ander "Wilson" Knox and Fred MacMurray for his. job in "Double Indemnity' 1 (Par). A sixth balloting was required to pick Leo McCarey for directing "Way" over numerous others who figured in the voting, including Preston Sturge.s for his "Mail Con- quering Hero," Billy Wilder for piloting "Double Indemnity" and Henry King, director of "Song of Bernadetle." McCarey was also the producer of "Way."' Tallulah Bankhead was adjudged as having given the best femme performance in "Lifeboat" (20th). She. won over Barbara Stanwyck in Indemnity." Ingiid Bergman in Gaslight" (M-G) and Jennifer Jones in "Bernadettc." Special awards for the best Army- made pictures ot the year went to "Memphis Belle," rour-rceler produced for the Army Air .Force by Col. William Wilder and re- leased by Par and "Attack, the Bat- tle of Britain," released through RKO. (Regular John Abbott. 133 Harry Ackerman 73 ' Fred Allen 14 Michael Balcon 113 Pat Ballard 76 Don Becker . 76 Jack Benny 7 Sherman Billingsley 148 Capt. Claude Binyon 24 Hal Block '.. 71 Martin Block 135 Gene Buck •—...... 6 . Ernest ByAeld 147 Eddie Cantor .,' 36 Carroll Carroll 75. Bennett Cert ......... 24 Olin H. Clark.............. 39. Ted Collins , 74 Staffers and Correspondents Reg Connelly 114 Norman Corwin 73 James J. Geller 36 Nathan I>. Gblden. '.. 112 Lester Gottlieb 72 Bill Halligan 149 Will H. Hays v 5 James H. Hazen .\ 6 Bob Hope 36 Arthur Hopkins 24 George Jessel 24 Paul W. Kesten........... \ 72 Edgar Kobak 71 Chet La Roche 79 Joe Laurie, Jr 148 Alan tipscott 75- Burns Mantle 3 H: Clay Mirier 40 Omitted) Erin O'Brien-Moore ... ... 159 J.-'C. Nugent 40 Arch Oboler 71 ,i Charles Oppenheim ...." 75 Richard Pack 72 Theodore Pratt ........ 6 Jo Ranson 72 William N. Robson . 76 Laurence Schwab ..... 30 Edwin Seaver ..'. 64 James D. Shouse 73 ' Sidney Skolsky 29 H. Allen Smith 19 Bernard Sobel :.'. 178 , Ashton Stevens 7 Albert StUlman 14 FrankSullivan .A 14 Maurice Zolotow ,° 19 DONALD A. HENDERSON NEW 20TH-FOX TREAS. Twentieth-Fox picked Donald A. Henderson, an executive from Leh- man Bros., Wall Street . financial house active in the company's affairs recently, as treasurer to fill the va- cancy caused by the death of Sydney Towell, who died Dec. 9. Directors last Thursday. (28) elected him to his post and also made him a cor- poration director. Directorate also ejected Felix A. Jenkins, company's secretary and counsel, to the board of directors. Henderson, who was a friend of Hie late Towell, has'been active in 20th-Fox financial affairs since 1926. Theatres Trailerizing For More War Workers Newark. Fifty WB and indie theatres throughout Essex, Hudson, and Union counties have been enlisted in drive to. recruit 20,000 wax work- ers- for this area, considered by WMC to be most critical in the country.' They're showing a special 3-minute trailer made by the Signal C'orps,"ih" whiterNewA'iiv ina.ipo.v;r biggies urge theatre-goers to get into war jobs. Film is being shown in conjunc- tion^ with War Dept. incentive films and personal appearances of re- turned servicemen. Representatives of the U. S. Employment Service ar« stationed in lobbies to catch exiting ticket buyers while they're still- hyped up. Trado -Mark Itegintereil FOUNDBD. BY 'SIMB SILVERMAN rnhllnhril Wwklj by VARIETY,- Inc. Hid Silverman, 1'rrnlden t ls-l West «th St.. Now York 19, N. Y. SUBSCRIPTION Annual »10 Foreign Ill Kindle Copleii i S5 On'» Vol. 157 130 No. 4 INDEX Bills 158 Foreign 112 Legit 159 Music 133 Obits ........ • "8 Orchestras 133 Pictures • • • • .4 Radio > 70 Vaudeville : 147. DAILY VAMEVY .- (PnhUihad In Hollywood by »10. B. T«*r—*ll Foreign